Rank the 5 from the 5.

[Cammie]

What Destinyru!es thinks!!! Tango has a few lovely tunes!!! (*o*)

[SisterNightroad]

1) Rumours
Perfect, polished and refined in the form and raw and emotional in the lyrical expression

2) Fleetwood Mac
It's still imperfect but already has all the elements that will be further developed in Rumours: harmonies, melodies, songwriting (think Monday morning is the precursor of Second hand news) while Stevie and Lindsey's songs are still very Buckingham Nicks-ish because they are not yet separeted artistical beings and also the others of the band bring their blues history with them. It unifies the best of all the band members until then.Finally it has historically importance as the album that resurrected the band, the spark that led to rumours and one of the best albums of the year and of all time.

3) Tusk
It's perfect in its imperfection. Each songrwriter is an isolated artistical being. Daring and ambitious.

4) Mirage
A good album, unfortunately I can't stand Empire state and I didn't like Lindsey's songs on the first listening, except Book of love that however thought a bit silly, but there are very good Stevie's and Christine songs anyway. There's nothing new or exciting tough, but the band is starting to be more "visual" and is experimenting the novelty of videos with some great results; I wish they would have done more good videos like Gypsy, Stevie's Mirage look was a bomb.

5) Tango in the night
On the first listening I found it a bit boring. It's very eighty-ish and my generation isn't familiar with so munch synthesizer, it's outdated. Plus Stevie's songs are the worse of her career with the band (not solo).
I'm revaluating it now that I'm listening to more 80's music, it was a very good move for the time.

[bethelblues]

What if we add subcategories, like Best Song, Best Studio Version, Most Underrated, etc. for each album?

[Andy Man]

Objective Top 5:
Criteria: Quality of work as an "album" in the truest sense of the word (i.e. creativity, consistency of song writing, production, overall narrative, etc.

1. Rumours: A flawless album; no filler, production is stellar, and even without knowing the band's story the themes of relationships, betrayal, and loneliness are evident. As another poster mentioned, it is very easy to forget the work of art this record is. Each songwriter contributes A-game material, and if I were to suggest an album that defines the classic Mac sound this would be the one. The sequencing plays a big part on this album and is the best song-for-song order of any classic Mac album. The first line is brilliant in introducing the album to the listener "I know there's nothing to say, someone has taken my place."

2. Fleetwood Mac (The White Album): From a songwriting perspective, a very strong record; very few filler (I would argue the only one being "Sugar Daddy", however even this tune has its merits production-wise). It lacks the narrative structure that exists in Rumours, but no other Fleetwood Mac record really consists of blatant overriding themes like the aforementioned album. It is a very 'band' record and presents the musicianship of all the players well. Though not as raw as Rumours, there is an excitement throughout this record that clearly indicates the potential that these 5 musicians have.

3. Tusk: This album is all about the production, and while not as consistent with the songwriting, it deserves full marks for creativity. The 20-song track listing presents each song writer in their element, and each individual contributes some of their best Fleetwood Mac material. As many critics have pointed out, at times this album does sound like 3 solo records, however it actually does work as a 'band' album (it just takes a number of listens for this to present itself). While there are a few Buckingham tracks that are not necessary, this album truly showcases his artistry and his innovative techniques. Christine McVie has brilliant songs here, most notably "Over & Over" and "Brown Eyes." Stevie Nicks' material is her best overall contribution to a FM album.

4. Mirage : A very underrated pop gem; it is evident that the band did not intend to make a rock record here. The harmonies are lush, and I would argue that it contains some of the most underrated songs from the band ("Straight Back", "Book Of Love", "Only Over You", "Eyes Of The World"). "Love in Store" and "Hold Me" are pop songs in the most perfect form and "Gypsy" is, I argue, the best production ever applied to a Fleetwood Mac song. Although a few tracks are rather tedious, notably "Empire State" and "Wish You Were Here", this is an album that deserves more listens than it usually gets. Out of all the albums, I believe a proper remaster of Mirage would present it in its full glory.

5. Tango In The Night: An important album as it brought the band much commercial success ten years after the goliath Rumours. As far as the singles go, it is a stunning collection. "Big Love", "Seven Wonders", "Little Lies", and "Everywhere" were all brilliant choices to send to radio and, production wise, incredibly innovative. Christine McVie is the star of this album, with "Isn't It Midnight" being one of her most underrated and underplayed songs. However, what brings the album down is the lack of a "band" feel. Lindsey Buckingham's songs tend to just be solo efforts and, aside from "Seven Wonders", Stevie Nicks does not have strong efforts (though if recorded at a different time, "When I See You Again" could have a very moving track).

Personal Top 5:
My favorite albums, as determined by plays and personal favourite tracks

1. Tusk
2. Rumours
3. Mirage
4. Fleetwood Mac
5. Tango In The Night

[FuzzyPlum]

Originally Posted by bethelblues

Best Record: Dreams
Best Song: The Chain
Underrated: Oh Daddy

Sorry to sound a bit stoopid...
whats the difference between 'Best record' and 'Best song' ??????

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by Dreamz19

Tusk
Rumours
Tango in The Night (Tango and Rumours can easily switch places)
Fleetwood Mac
Mirage

That's exactly how I would do my list, too... including Tango & Rumours volleying for #2.

[bethelblues]

Originally Posted by FuzzyPlum

Sorry to sound a bit stoopid...
whats the difference between 'Best record' and 'Best song' ??????

For record I meant the studio recording on the album. And then for song, taking account of live performances. A good example might be Landslide...the recording on Fleetwood Mac (1975) vs. live versions like The Dance single. Does that make sense? So the record is more limiting than the song (like Big Love's acoustic version).

[Dreamz19]

Originally Posted by elle

wow!! nice to see all this love for Tusk! every time i see someone choose Tusk i'm curious about their opinion of SYW?

i know i'm repeating myself, but it always fascinates me how much love there seems to be in FM community for Tusk while at the same time so much hate for SYW, which in my mind (as well as some rock critics' i've heard) is in so many ways a very similar album.

for me it's:
Tusk>>>Rumours>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>FM/Mirage/Tango

Tusk is my favorite Mac album and I love SYW.

[Dragonfly]

Rumours
Tango In The Night
Tusk
Say You Will
Fleetwood Mac
Mirage


I know SYW wasn't an option but that's where I'd place it Love most of that album.

I love the fact that this tour has so many Tango songs, Christine really was at the top of her game on this album and it's only a shame that Isn't It Midnight isn't there too. The fact that only Gypsy is being played from Mirage sums up what a lot of people seem to think about that album, (although I would love to have seen Hold Me for sure).

Here in the UK, Mirage just seemed to sink without a trace almost - Gypsy was a minor hit but that was it. Rumours and Tango were both massive however and you still hear songs from those albums on the radio quite a bit.